Prince Charles awarded amphibian namesake

Whether it’s as a patron of the Red Squirrel Trust or discussing rainforest conservation with the Pope, Britain’s Prince Charles has established himself as a high-profile supporter of conservation and environmental causes.

Now, in recognition of his efforts, a newly-identified species of Ecuadoran frog has been named in his honor.

The new Frog Prince is Hyloscirtus princecharlesi or the Prince Charles Stream Tree Frog.

The amphibian’s name-giving was made official Thursday during an environmental workshop for school children at Highgrove House, the Prince of Wales’ family home in Gloucestershire. The Prince was presented with a glass replica of his namesake frog by Dr. Luis A. Coloma, the Ecuadoran scientist who discovered the previously-unknown species.

One of the children playfully put the frog on the Prince’s shoulder while the group was being photographed.

“The things I do for frogs,” the Prince is said to have quipped, according to an article on the website Royal Forums.The event was organized by Amphibian Ark, an organization dedicated to ensuring the global survival of amphibians.

“It is endangered and needs to be protected in the wild,” said a spokesperson for the group. “It’s fairly unusual to name a new species after someone but this is seen as something special in honor of the Prince.”

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Coloma called Charles a “very active campaigner” in the effort to preserve the world’s rainforests, according in an article in The Australian. “The frogs live inside the forests and he has been using frogs as his symbol for his campaign.”

Saying he was “very touched” the Prince added he “will battle even harder now.”

Coloma is the founder the Centro Jambatu de Investigacion y Conservacion de Anfibios. He first discovered the previously-unknown species in 2008 when it was among a group of preserved specimens, according to a press release from Amphibian Ark, and later led an expedition which eventually found several live specimens in he Cotacachi-Cayapas National Park in Ecuador, according an article on the Royal Forums website.